Alum's Career Path Leads to Oscars Red Carpet

When Hollywood’s biggest stars walked the Oscar red carpet, Ryan Koprek ’13 was right there. As an employee of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Koprek was just feet away from Meryl Streep, Bradley Cooper, Julianne Moore, and other Oscar nominees.

“Despite all of the rain, the energy in the area was absolutely incredible,” Koprek says. “I’m so lucky to have the opportunity to work for such an amazing organization.”

Like many new graduates who want to work in the entertainment industry, Koprek moved to Los Angeles after finishing college. The industry is known for being tough to break into, but it wasn’t long before he did. Koprek, who was a performing arts management major in the University’s Hartt School, had a resume that set him apart from the competition. Thanks in part to a recommendation from a Hartt alum, Koprek interned with Hartford Stage in 2011. That internship helped him land a position with the Bushnell Performing Arts Center a year later, which in turn prepared him for a fundraising job with the Hartford Symphony.

"When I got the job with the Academy, I was specifically told that my internships and work background strongly influenced their decision to offer the job to me over other candidates,” Koprek explains.

Koprek also credits his University of Harford education, which taught him about all aspects of the entertainment industry.

“The fact that I could take business courses to supplement my focus on the arts is the reason I have been successful.”

Koprek spends most of his time helping to raise money for the Academy Museum, which will include galleries, exhibition spaces, theaters, and educational areas. Koprek, who hopes to have a long career with the Academy, is looking forward to the museum’s opening in 2017.